Student debt in the United States has doubled since the recession to $1.19 trillion. It’s an issue that is stoking a national discussion over how to rein in college costs and debt, and it’s becoming a major issue in the 2016 presidential races, The Wall Street Journal reports.
But little noted in the outcry is the disproportionate role played by postgraduate borrowers. They now account for roughly 40% of all student debt, but represent just 14% of students in higher education, according to the newspaper.
Propelling the surge in grad-school debt is a welter of federal programs that make it easy for students to borrow large amounts, then to have substantial chunks of those debts eventually forgiven, The Wall Street Journal notes. Critics of the system say it makes it easier for graduate schools to raise tuition, and for some high-earning graduates such as doctors to escape debts they can afford to repay. The Wall Street Journal has the full story.
